Change language
BohoBio Bio
Hello, my name is Tini, and this is my BohoBio Bio
|
Name : Tini the Tarsier
Scientific Name : Carlito syrichta Other Names : mawuman, mago, mamag Home : Bohol Island, Philippines Favorite Food : meat eater (carnivore) love insects, small lizards, frogs, and birds Personality : creature of the night, enjoy company, greatly stressed by captivity Best Features : Enormous eyes; long hands & feet; world-class leaping ability Biggest Concerns : avoiding snakes, owls, and cats, surviving human impact Shout out : Philippine Tarsier Foundation Video : Interview with a Tarsier |
MY ANCESTRY
We tarsiers are primates, and we fall somewhere between lemurs and monkeys on the evolutionary tree. A very long time ago tarsiers were living in Europe, across Asia and Northern Africa, but now we are only found on the tropical islands that are part of the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Scientists argue about how many tarsier species there are, but 14 is commonly used. We all belong to the same family which is called Tarsiidae. I live in the Philippines and my kind have been given the scientific name Carlito syrichta.
WHERE I’M FROM
I live in rainforest on the island of Bohol. We tarsiers like forests where we hang out on small trees and bushes. Rainforests are the best, but we can also survive in drier forests and mangroves.
TRAITS & ABILITIES
I have a combination of small and large traits. Overall, my body is small, and tarsiers are among the smallest of primates. My body is about 5 inches (13 cm) long and I weight about 5 ounces (130 g). I could fit comfortably inside a large coffee mug. What’s large about me are my eyes. Each of my eyes is bigger than my brain, and tarsiers have the biggest eyes relative to their bodies of any mammal. My eyes are so big I can’t move them, they always stare straight ahead. So, to look around I must move my whole head. That work fine because my neck is very flexible. I can turn my head 180 degrees so I can see what’s going on behind me. These huge eyes give me excellent night vision, and nighttime is when I like to go out for hunting and socializing.
Another large feature of mine are my hands and feet. My hands have long bones that help me cling to trees and capture my prey. My foot bones (tarsals) are especially long, and this feature is why I’m called a tarsier. My feet give me amazing leaping ability. I can jump 40 times my body length! This helps be a very successful hunter and to escape snakes when need be.
Another large feature of mine are my hands and feet. My hands have long bones that help me cling to trees and capture my prey. My foot bones (tarsals) are especially long, and this feature is why I’m called a tarsier. My feet give me amazing leaping ability. I can jump 40 times my body length! This helps be a very successful hunter and to escape snakes when need be.
FAMILY LIFE
Both male and female tarsiers maintain a territory of about 2 hectares which we mark with urine.
We usually pick one partner and stick with them for mating. Pregnancy in tarsiers lasts about 6 months and the mom will have one baby. This baby is very big (about 22% of the mother’s body weight).
This would be like a human mom having a 25 (11 kg) pound baby! The baby’s eyes are open from birth, and they can leap around after two days. The mom will nurse the baby for up to two months, and while the dad is around, he doesn’t help much with raising the baby.
The baby will reach adult size after about 2 years, and live for about 10 years in the wild.
We usually pick one partner and stick with them for mating. Pregnancy in tarsiers lasts about 6 months and the mom will have one baby. This baby is very big (about 22% of the mother’s body weight).
This would be like a human mom having a 25 (11 kg) pound baby! The baby’s eyes are open from birth, and they can leap around after two days. The mom will nurse the baby for up to two months, and while the dad is around, he doesn’t help much with raising the baby.
The baby will reach adult size after about 2 years, and live for about 10 years in the wild.
|
I like to go hunting at night when my favorite foods (insects, frogs and lizards) are also out and about. I only eat other animals, which makes me the only strictly meat-eating (carnivorous) primate in the world.
|
PRESENT & FUTURE
Right now, tarsiers are classified as “vulnerable to extinction” with a large but declining population. We need your help if we are to have a future in which our home is safe and where we are not being captured for tourism or pets. We are fortunate to have friends like the Philippine Tarsier Foundation which is dedicated to protecting us and our home. So long as the effort of people trying to protect us and our home are greater than the efforts of people trying to capture us or destroy our home, we will have a future presence on our planet.
